As soon as I saw the trailer for the movie Bad Moms I knew I had to see it! Several of my girlfriends actually texted me asking if they could join me when I went to review the film. From the preview alone, we all knew we could relate to the main character, an overworked, underpaid mom who’s stretched too thin; a mom who finally snaps after trying to do it all. Like my friends, I know how precarious it can be trying to be that picture perfect Pinterest mom while still trying to be true to who I really am:
- a mom who berates herself for volunteering to do things out of the sake of being accepted by fellow moms
- a mom who wishes the world embraced me wearing active wear even on days when I have zero plans of working out
- a mom who usually only cooks because my child demands to be fed
- a mom who secretly dreams of a world where I can nap every day.
Would the movie, starring Mila Kunis as Amy Mitchell live up to the hype? In a word, yes. Amy is a mom who’s reached her breaking point, who’s tired of constantly feeling like she’s a failure. She’s always trying her best to be the mother she feels her kids deserve while at the same time trying to live up to the incredibly high standards set by the other moms at her kids’ school.
After befriending single mom Carla, played by the hilarious Kathryn Hahn, and a stressed out stay-at-home mom Kiki, played by Kristen Bell, Amy begins taking a stand. She’s fed up with feeling judged, and is grateful to have allies who not only understand her, but who can also relate to her. The comedic situations the trio find themselves in will leave you in stitches!
Both of my sisters as well as one of my lifelong friends, who are all moms themselves, joined me on opening night. Between the four of us, we had various reactions, but all of us agreed that the movie was well worth our time. My older sister Jodi, a mother of two teenage sons, said, “I thought it was very entertaining, and there were several points in the movie where I laughed. A lot of the funny parts were shown in the trailers, but it was a good girls’ night out, feel-good movie that all moms can relate to.” My younger sister Jamie, a single mother of a daughter about to start kindergarten, said, “I found it to be depressing at times, but mostly because it resonated with my own single motherhood.” Jamie said a scene where Amy cries reminded her of moments she has faced herself when she has felt “empty and alone.” My friend Reena, a mother of three elementary school aged boys, commented, “It was really good! It was actually sweeter than I had anticipated, but I also wasn’t peeing my pants laughing because, as usual, they showed all the really funny parts in the trailer. It was more touching than I expected.”
As a mom of a nine year old daughter, I agreed with Jodi and Reena. I laughed throughout the movie, even laughing at the same funny scenes from the trailer that lured me into the theater. The movie was certainly raunchy at times, but it was balanced with scenes that felt realistic. One of the most important things I walked away with was the reminder that I should try to avoid judging my fellow moms. I don’t ever want to be Christina Applegate’s character Gwendolyn, the PTA President who parades around as if she’s flawless, exacerbating other moms’ insecurities. Like the main character Amy, each mom out there is trying her best while praying that others aren’t scrutinizing every parental move she makes. The best lesson of all, of course, was not to judge yourself so much; just love your kids, and give it your best! Deep down inside, we all fear we might be bad moms, but isn’t that what drives us to be good moms; we are never satisfied with our own “job performance,” are we?
The soundtrack was amazing, and really added to the fun vibe of the movie. Make sure to stick around for the bonus feature after the movie ends! I don’t want to give anything away, but all four of us commented that the bonus feature made us teary (in a good way).
Movie times: click here
Genre: Comedy
Directors: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Actors: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Christina Applegate
Rating: R for sexual material, full frontal nudity, language throughout, and drug and alcohol content
Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
